SURGERY DAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRAYDEN!!!

Well it was a very early morning we got to the hospital just before 7:00 as the cardiologists would be making their rounds and we needed to sign the consent forms. Erica was second case, so we knew it was going to happen. We stayed by Erica's side the entire time until the O.R. called up for her at 12:30. The O.R. Transport team came and got her all hooked up and ready to go. This was for real this time. All sorts of emotions ran through us. What was going to happen, and will she be ok.
They allowed us to walk with her to the O.R. doors, little did we know that it was 20 steps away. They spot and let us kiss her and wish her luck. Tell her that we love her and that we'll be waiting for her to come out. She entered the O.R at 1:15 and my heart dropped.

A few hours passed and we went to the CICU/PICU (Cardiac/Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) for a "walk around the unit to see where everything was and where she'll be.
Finally at 3:30 we seen Dr. Adatia walk down the hall. He greeted us and said that the surgery is going great and that she surprised everyone in the fact that her pressures had actually dropped more then 50% of what they were! He said that they are just finishing up a few thing and then Dr. Rebekya would come out to talk to us.

Finally 4:30 came and Dr. Rebekya came out and said that everything went well and that they were able to repair everything except for the 4th fully stenosis'ed vein. They ended up reconstructing the right and left atrium's to redirect the blood flow from the right pulmonary vein. He tried to get the needle through the 4th vein but it wouldn't go, so Erica will only have 3 pulmonary veins. He was very pleased with how it turned out. He said it was going to be a little while until she come out because they have to slowly start her heart back up and wean her off the heart and lung machine. 

It wasn't until 5:45 that she got wheeled past us and into her room. We weren't allowed to go in for a while, until they were able to get her settled and hooked up. So we decided we'd go have a coffee and call our mom's to let them know that surgery went well and that she's in recovery.

They tried to brace us for what she'll be like after surgery. and we'll they nailed it head on except for the one thing that we knew we never wanted so I am not mentioning it again. They said though that she will be a very sick little girl for about 3 days, she'll look like the Michelin Tire baby
  
Well she definitely looked like the Michelin tire baby she was so swollen if she was awake she wouldn't have been able to open her eyes. Her entire face was just round with no eye sockets or nose formation, no neck, just puff.

But she was doing very well, and we were so proud of her! Erica jumped a huge hurdle today. She's definitely not out of the woods, and anything can happen, here's praying that nothing but getting better and coming home happens now!